Malvern Spring Show

I was lucky enough to be invited to Malvern last Friday by a client. I had never been so was unsure what to expect. The show was really good, lots of growers, nurseries, a few show gardens. It was so different to Chelsea which is always heaving and kind of tricky to access really. At Chelsea you are definitely just a punter. You are not special enough to enjoy the gardens at a leisurely pace and half the time you get pushed along with a crowd.

At Malvern, the show is set in the rolling hills, it is spacious and you get the sense that it is full of 'real' people! Such a breath of fresh air. Even the stalls sold actual gardening gear; brooms, mops, garden equipment (not pretend lifestyle garden stuff), greenhouses, sculptures. OK so some of it was tat but the plant sales most definitely were not. They were the growers, who grow the plants themselves. Who get excited by new varieties and cultivars and who know what Gardeners want.

At one point Joe Swift and James Alexander Sinclair gave a guided tour of the gardens whilst interviewing the actual Designers. A real insight into what the gardens were about from the people who made them and that was fascinating. A great day out.

My gardening week was mainly about keeping on top of new growth, namely weeds. Whilst doing this though, it is great to work with herbaceous borders and ramp up my plant knowledge. These borders are becoming more of a friend to me but I still do not know them well. Before my RHS course and my WRAGS, I was a veg girl. No experience of herbaceous at all. It became a bit of a mystery to me and if I am honest, a little bit scary and daunting.

Now I look back at my days work today and realize how far I have come. I spent a morning sowing seeds and planting out veg. Followed by weeding, tidying, cutting back a big border. I now feel confident that what I am pulling out is actually a weed and have a real understanding of how to go about the job and do it properly (including what tools are required and how long the job might take!). All of this is down to experience and I am gaining more confidence every week.

Heale gardens are looking really good right now. I love May. The blossoms are out, the garden is coming to life again. So many colours and new growth bursting out of the borders. We spent time weeding and clearing: Working with Tulips, Lavender, Tree Peonies, Nepeta, Macleaya, Astrantia, to name but a few.

The Japanese garden is superb when it comes back to life. The Ferns are standing proud now, looking really smart.

The veg garden is doing really well, we have lots of Salad leaves to crop and Asparagus. 

We have potted up Tomatoes, Aubergine and Chilli. 

More to sow in the coming weeks, successional sowing of Beets, Carrot etc. What a great time of year. The Trees are coming into their own as well. It is easy to ignore them. The Davidia involucrata or Handkerchief tree (which I remember far more easily!) is doing its thing. And of course the many Wisterias that are in the gardens.

I even found this little fella snuffling about in the grass. Lots to do and lots to see. Happy days.